19 September 2016

New York: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif (click here) said on Monday that Saudi Arabia has welcomed 2.5 million Syrians since the beginning of the crisis.
Speaking at a UN meeting ahead of his General Assembly address the crown prince said, in addition to these 2.5 million, the Kingdom has provided full support to the countries that are hosting Syrian refugees.
With respect to the Kingdom’s efforts in providing humanitarian assistance, Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia has given around $139 billion over the past four decades.
The crown prince also said the Kingdom is offering free education to around 285,000 Yemeni students.

Saudi Arabia is finding them.

18 September 2016
By Mohammed al-Sulami

Jeddah: Security agencies (click here) have foiled four terror plots that were in advanced stages of planning.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said on Monday that 17 suspects had been arrested, one of them a Saudi woman.

Fourteen of the suspects were Saudis, and the others a Yemeni, a Palestinian and an Egyptian.

The 17 were part of three separate cells linked to Daesh.

According to the ministry, they were planning to target scholars, security forces, and oil and military facilities.

The security operations resulted in the seizure of high explosive devices, including sticky bombs; explosive belts ready for detonation, metal pipes used as explosive devices, automatic weapons, silencers, live ammunition and a sum of money exceeding SR600,000....

#Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif with Assistant to US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

The planned attacks mention the year 1437. That is the Islamic year. If I understand the Islamic calendar correctly, there is a difference due to the emergence of Mohammad. He began his teachings after Jesus Christ began his. Mohammad's beginnings is just shy of 600 years AD.

If one accepts violence in the USA is linked to radicalization it will serve two purposes; to protect those that fully embrace the USA as their homeland and defends it and it will provide reason to continue surveillance.

I think the experience with the Tsarnaev Brothers proves radicalization is real and the FBI cannot possibly maintain surveillance of all those that are radicalized and return to the USA. It was my opinion then and it is the same today; when a person is suspected of radicalization they are a risk and it is the local investigators that have the greatest interest in continued collection of intelligence. It is the local professionals that may very well be more successful after the FBI has completed their process.

Saudi Arabia is a smaller country than the USA. Saudi Arabia is 830,000 square miles and the USA is 3.806 million square miles. The population of Saudi Arabia is 28.83 million people and the population of the USA is 318.9 million people. One USA federal agency cannot possibly be as accurate the Saudi Arabia security forces.

When the area and population of the USA is broken down into states and cities the possibility (statistically) of finding a needle in a hay stake becomes much easier.

Local authorities working with the FBI will add to the number of eyes and ears and minds working to protect Americans.

Statistically, radicalization is turning up in the history of those that kill.

September 19, 2016
By N. R, Kleinfield

...At this point, (click here) little is known of Mr. Rahami’s ideology or politics, or whether he has any connections to foreign terrorist organizations. He used to wear Western-style clothing, and customers said he gave little indication of his heritage.

Around four years ago, though, Mr. Rahami disappeared for a while. Mr. Jones said that one of the younger Rahami brothers told him that he had gone to Afghanistan. When he returned, some patrons noticed a certain transformation. He grew a beard and exchanged his typical wardrobe of T-shirts and sweatpants for traditional Muslim robes. He began to pray in the back of the store.

His previous genial bearing turned more stern.

“It’s like he was a completely different person,” Mr. Jones said. “He got serious and completely closed off.”

Andre Almeida, 24, who lives nearby and eats at the chicken restaurant once or twice each week, said he found the change quite striking but was hesitant to reach any conclusions....

The USA has a power paradigm to solve within communities of faith. Prayer is the answer in the USA, not violence. The attackers don't trust prayer.

The angry people in the USA break down into those that used guns and those that used bombs. There are quite a few in recent years.

Get this:

I was reading about the Fort Myers' shooting of the teen nightclub:

July 29, 2016

...The shooter or shooters have not been arrested. (click here)

Fort Myers interim police Chief Dennis Eads told local media on Friday that at least of the wounded survivors have withdrawn their complaints, which might make it more difficult for police to investigate.

"I just would like to know what the thought is, why, they would not want to try and prosecute a person that could have very easily killed them," Eads told local media.

At least two of the injured, both 14, remain in the hospital.

I think that is strange. It is not just one person who withdrew their complaints. Being wounded is acceptable in the USA. Did the victims know the shooter? A peer?

The cases also breakdown along domestic terrorists with and without contact with war torn areas of the world. Those with contact of foreign countries where war is a long term problem are fairly young in their late teens and early twenties, ie: Tamerlan and Dzhokhar  Tsarnaev. The younger Tsarnaev brother is sentenced to death and is in US Marshall custody until the death sentence date is established.

Nadal Hasan is the exception to the killers, he was 39 when he killed at Fort Hood.

For those that were devoted to Islam this was a presentation by Hasan during his time with the USA military.

These writing by Hasan date back to before 2009 when he killed. Daesh, while organizing since 2003 with the invasion into Iraq, didn't declare a caliphate until 2014. The point is Hasan was stating a caliphate/islamic state was a priority to the religion long before 2014. 

I think the precepts set down by Hasan in the research he presented to the USA military establishment is an aspect migrants, refugees and those seeking citizenship have to face as a potential hurdle to citizenship. 

Hasan and the other killers of islamic extremism in the USA that have citizen status need to be examined for any evidence of divided loyalties. Early manhood is a problem for them when facing their new country with their religious freedom. Here in the USA, religious freedom has no question. Why are these young Americans so conflicted between the laws of the country, the value of human life and ancient precepts of a religion they are free to practice? I strongly believe these precepts that place young men in conflict with their citizenship and laws is the basis of many of these killings.

I believe there is also 'a guilt' about living and living a good life while not completely knowing or understanding the pain of living within their families still living overseas or their former homeland. There is something about the conflict of islamic precepts vs their comfort and freedom in the USA driving these attacks, be they bombs or bullets. There is a common basis for the violence and I think Hasan got it right while being caught up in his own moral dilemma as a Palestinian.

"Good Night, Moon"

The waning gibbous

17.4 day old moon

92.3 percent lit

"Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Our Moon" (click here)

18 September 2016

The award winning entries in the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016 competition in the category ‘Our Moon’.

The winners of the competition’s nine categories and two special prizes were announced on Thursday 15th September at a special award ceremony at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. A free exhibition featuring the winning images is now open at the Observatory’s Astronomy Centre.

Winner: From Maurolycus to Moretus by Jordi Delpeix Borrell...